Travis DA launches probe into state cancer agency

By Todd Ackerman and Eric Berger

Published 8:05 pm, Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Bill Gimson, the embattled executive director of the Texas cancer agency, announced his resignation Tuesday and the state office that investigates public corruption and criminal activity opened an inquiry into the agency.

Gimson, the central figure in two questionable grants awarded by the agency, wrote governing board members of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas that he's been placed in an unfortunate situation “where I can no longer be effective.”

“The last eight months have been extremely difficult for those at CPRIT,” Gimson wrote in a letter to the board, known as the oversight committee. “During this time they have not been able to do their jobs due to wasted efforts expended in low value activities that do nothing to advance cures for cancer.”

Gregg Cox, director of the Travis County District Attorney's special prosecution division, said the office's public integrity unit decided last week to investigate the agency. In a Dec. 7 letter to Gimson and cancer agency lawyer Kristen Doyle, Assistant District Attorney Rob Drummond wrote that “we will be in touch in the near future with a subpoena or other legal demand for documents and or electronic material.”

At a cancer agency meeting last week, an agency compliance officer said emails about the Peloton proposal and process could not be located.

The public integrity unit investigation is the latest of a number of investigations at the agency, a $3 billion assault on cancer that Texans overwhelmingly approved in 2007. The state auditor has been looking into possible irregularities at the agency since summer and on Monday the Texas Attorney General's Office said it would launch an inquiry into the Peloton grant.

In a statement Tuesday night, cancer agency Oversight Committee Chairman Jimmy Mansour and Vice-Chairman Dr. Joseph Bailes said the board “will immediately begin the process of transitioning to new leadership of the organization.”

The statement noted that the resignation is subject to the approval of the Oversight Committee,” scheduled to meet on Jan. 17.

Gov. Rick Perry didn't know about Gimson's announcement when asked about it at an anti-abortion event in Houston Tuesday. “That's his call,” he said.

Perry said he supports any oversight necessary to ensure Texans are confident their dollars are being spent appropriately.

“If there needs to be personnel changes or other changes, the legislature needs to give some particular oversight or the attorney general needs to take a look at this,” said Perry. “I support all of that.”

Margaret Kripke, announced Monday as the agency's new chief scientific officer, said she was sorry to hear of Gimson's resignation and is waiting to see if the board accepts it. She noted there has been “more turmoil at the agency since I accepted the job a couple weeks ago.”

“I feel it's being beleaguered at the moment and I want to do whatever I can to help,” said Kripke, a former executive vice president and chief academic officer at M.D. Anderson. “But I think the whole concept of [the agency] is fabulous. It's too great an opportunity to waste.”

Gimson will be the third major figure at the agency to step down this year. Al Gilman, former chief scientific officer, resigned in May in protest of the M.D. Anderson grant. And Jerry Cobbs, the former chief commercialization officer, resigned last month without disclosing reasons.